The Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School community consists of students from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The general aim of EAD/L education at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School is to assist students from non-English speaking backgrounds in learning English in a climate of respect and tolerance.
Children learn their first language not as an end in itself but as a means of learning about the world around them. Similarly the learning of a second language seems to happen most effectively when the focus is not on learning language but on learning about something else.
Language is learnt when there are opportunities to think, speak, listen, read, write about meaningful, significant things for real purposes.
Learning a second language is enhanced when the first language is maintained.
Our teachers are highly skilled in teaching second language learners.
We provide support for all levels of speakers from Prep - Year 6 and including new arrivals.
The support offered is mostly in the context of the classroom, therefore, the teaching here is very explicit (often referred to as best practice). All children, regardless of their language background, benefit from this approach.